>I spend a bit of time trolling around the internet, looking for various ideas on being a better author. Most of the time, I end up sorting through nonsense but now and again, I find something interesting. On his blog, author Jason Sanford posts about how actively avoiding cliches can actually be detrimental to your writing.

I’m not sure I bought off on everything here but food for thought. I guess it gets back to the only absolute rule is: there are no absolutes in writing. I think.

I saw over on Cat Rambo’s blog this entry for an issue of Fantasy Magazine called Women Destroying Fantasy. (It is not quite as destructive as it sounds.) Unfortunately for me, entries are restricted to female writers. I have the utmost respect for Cat and wish her, and Fantasy Magazine, the best (FM guidelines for this issue here).

Still, I wonder what would have happened if a magazine had a call for just male authors…. I am fully versed on the privilege/diversity arguments and would expect to hear them all. I understand the arguments, on an intellectual level. At the same time, I wonder, “Are we equal? Or aren’t we?” Why do we insist on dividing ourselves? Does is sounds odd that I want to cheer on Fantasy magazine and wish for their success and still be disappointed in them at the same time?

(Muse: Awful deep thoughts for you, especially on a Saturday morning. How much have you had to drink?)

Too much. Or not enough, depending on how you split it. Hey Muse, you’re female. Care to submit in my stead?

(Muse: Doesn’t work that way, cupcake.)

Ah well.

Anyway, fem friends go check this out and see if you can submit something. Man friends make sure to follow up and read it, even if you grumble about it.

I found this fairly interesting: spec fiction from a libertarian perspective. I've argued before that sci-fi has a history with progressive movements, so the website Prometheus Unbound provided a slightly different view.

Interesting little site for those who love – as I do – epic fantasy fiction. Best Fantasy Books breaks down what they consider to be the best 25 books in fantasy, followed by 25 "great" books and 25 more "good" books. It's not so much the rankings but the decent write-ups and the suggestions with the entries that I like – as in, "If you liked Game of Thrones, you might like X, Y and Z as well."

No, not the four-legged variety (unless there is something she isn't telling us). In this case, it would be the inestimable Cat Rambo, who has forgotten more about this business than I am likely to ever learn. She made a post at SFWA on improving one's central Author page at Amazon. Considering the source, I think it's all very good advice. Mostly common sense but the longer I trod this world, the less common such sense feels.

Full disclosure: this is a much a reminder post to myself as anything else. I want to set up an Amazon author page and this is good advice I'd rather not lose.

(Muse: So you're abusing the good will of your readers for selfish ends?)

You make it sound sordid.

[Edit: I hate LJ's new posting system, and the option to use the old one seems to have vanished. Breaking my balls….]